... Catherine Politopoulos, curator of the LG Art Museum: "Some artists say they didn't know Duchamp had been one of their influences, but you really can't work in contemporary art and not be inspired by Duchamp."

Photographer Man Ray (right) & artist Marcel Duchamp play chess.

With a nod to Duchamp's obsession with chess--according to legend he gave up painting for two decades to devote himself to the game--the Museums will also host a series of chess tournaments in partnership with Bay Area Chess. "There are many stories about Duchamp's chess-playing. One legend was that his wife grew so tired of it that one morning he got up and found that she had glued his pieces to the board," Agg said.

Agg adds that grandmasters and chess neophytes alike who visit the History Museum will beinvited to step up to a computer and pit themselves against Duchamp's chess skills, via a software program that offers a virtual contest with the artist.

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"The Seduction of Duchamp" exhibition kicks off with a preview party at the Hotel Los Gatos & Spa on Sept. 10. For tickets and more information about the reception and the show, visit www.museumsoflosgatos.org or call 408.395.7386.